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Are we forgetting the gifted students? : How English teachers work with gifted students in Swedish upper secondary schools

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School of Education, Culture and Communication

Are we forgetting the gifted students?

How English teachers work with gifted students in Swedish upper secondary

schools

SANDRA SVEGREUS

ENA308 English for English Teachers 6, Degree Project

Sandra Svegreus Supervisor: Olcay Sert Examiner: Thorsten Schröter Term: Autumn 2020

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Abstract

The aim of this qualitative study is to investigate how upper secondary school teachers in Sweden identify and, if they do, support gifted students. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect data from seven upper secondary school English teachers in Sweden. The results show that the teachers are able to identify gifted students after they perform certain tests or tasks. All teachers state that it is important to give gifted students the necessary help and attention they need. The methods that were used to support the gifted students were to have flexible assignments that could be adjusted to the individuals’ needs or to provide the gifted students with extra assignments. The teachers state that they find it difficult to meet the needs of the gifted students due to lack of time and because the needs of struggling students are prioritized by the system. In conclusion, the teachers agree that education should be adjusted to all of the students’ different needs, including the ones of the gifted students. It has been reported by the participating teachers that they try to achieve this, yet they are concerned with the availability of their resources and time.

Sandra Svegreus

Are we forgetting the gifted students?

Year 2020 Pages: 24

Keywords: Gifted students, gifted English language learners, giftedness, intelligence, motivation, education, semi-structured interviews, Sweden

School of Education,

Culture and Communication

Degree project ENA308 15 hp Autumn 2020

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Table of contents

1 Introduction ... 1

2 Background ... 3

2.1 Giftedness and intelligence... 3

2.1.1 The three theories on giftedness and intelligence ... 3

2.2 Recognizing gifted students in the classroom ... 5

2.3 Pedagogical methods ... 6

2.3.1 Acceleration and enrichment ... 7

2.3.2 Differentiated learning... 8

3 Method ... 9

3.1 Thematic analysis ... 9

3.2 The participants ... 9

3.3 Procedure ... 10

3.4 The analysis of the data ... 11

3.5 Ethical considerations ... 12

4 Results ... 13

4.1 The gifted student ... 13

4.2 The challenge of challenging gifted students ... 14

4.2.1 Assignments ... 14

4.2.2 Motivation ... 15

4.2.3 Gifted students in minority ... 16

4.3 The teachers of the gifted students ... 17

4.4 Are gifted students’ needs prioritized? ... 18

4.5 Summary of the results ... 19

5 Discussion ... 21

6 Conclusion ... 23

References ... 25

Appendix 1: The questions for the interview ... 28

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1 Introduction

A teacher is a person who helps his or her students to acquire knowledge through help and support. According to the Swedish curriculum (2013), students in Sweden will be offered “an equivalent education” when attending school. This means that teachers are supposed to help their students to reach whatever individual goal the students have. All students are supposed to have the same opportunities to succeed in school and also to be challenged at their own level of intellect (2013, p. 5). This might seem like something that is natural and already happening in all classrooms all over Sweden. However, this is not always the case. There is a group of students that run the risk of being forgotten or that is simply not prioritized just because there are assumptions that they will be fine on their own. The group of students that I am speaking of are the students who are gifted. Phillips and Lindsay (2006) claim that it is crucial that the gifted students are being challenged when performing a task or else it could leave them going from being high achievers to underachievers (2006, p. 56). There are different opinions about the definition of a gifted student. Gifted students have certain characteristics such as high motivation, coupled with a high level of intelligence so that they are able to perform well in school without much effort (Page, 2006, p. 12). Stålnacke and Smedler (2011) argue that the motto “a school for all” is a concept which implies that all students have the right to develop at their own pace and create their own experiences to develop their knowledge (2011, p. 901). This idea is also voiced in the Swedish Education Act (2010:800) in the 2 § of the third chapter which states that all students have the right to receive a proper education adjusted to their needs to help them develop their knowledge. However, this is easier said than done. Persson (2010) explains that the Swedish school system is designed to make sure that every student reaches a minimum level of knowledge and competence. This means that the Swedish school system is highly egalitarian since all students are supposed to reach the same level of competence. According to Persson (2010) a student who reaches beyond this minimal level of knowledge is not considered a problem that requires the teacher’s attention and is therefore not prioritized. These students are therefore more or less left on their own (2010, p. 539). However, it is clearly explained in the

curriculum for the upper secondary school by the Swedish school authority (2013) that all who work in the school should “provide support and stimulations for all students so that they develop as far as possible” and that they should be “observant of and support students in need of special support” (2013, p. 9).

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I am interested in this subject because research on how to encourage and challenge gifted students is scarce. Lindberg and Kaill (2012) state that there is no direct answer as to what a gifted student is defined as (2012, p. 4). This may create a discrepancy among researchers but also working teachers. Another problem is that gifted students are often disregarded and left on their own since other students’ needs are often more prioritized, according to Persson (2010, p. 539). I therefore wanted to focus on how the English teachers notice gifted students in their daily work and how the English teachers address the needs of gifted students.

1.1 Aim and research questions

This study aims towards improving the understanding of how upper secondary school English teachers acknowledge and adjust support and guidance for gifted students in English as a second/foreign language. This study is going to describe how seven English teachers work to give the gifted language learners the chance to develop their abilities in English.

My research questions are:

 How do the participating English language teachers notice gifted students in their classrooms?

 In what ways do the participating English language teachers address the needs of gifted students in school?

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2 Background

In order to address the research questions, I will introduce the concepts of giftedness and intelligence and also how students are identified as gifted. This section will also discuss what may affect the gifted students’ abilities to learn and what kind of methods teachers may use in order to help gifted students develop their potential.

2.1 Giftedness and intelligence

Lindberg and Kaill (2012) state that it is difficult to know whether a student is gifted or not since there is no clear definition of what a gifted student is. There are several definitions of what it means to be gifted or intelligent and this is a part of the problem. Lindberg and Kaill (2012) further explain that there are those who see giftedness as something that is achievable, meaning that it is a process in which it may take time to achieve the desired skills. There are also those people who discuss the possibility that the person in question is already gifted and that it is an ability that you are born with (2012, p. 4).

Lindberg and Kaill (2012) suggest that the most common way of viewing intelligence is that it is a mental ability that can be tested in different kinds of tests concerning the

individual's different abilities. The abilities that can be tested and examined are for example the students’ reasoning and vocabulary (2012, p. 4). Biber et al. (2021) demonstrate that one of the most well-known and traditional methods that has been used to measure intelligence is to use the intelligence quotient (IQ). The IQ test provides a result of individual scores that is based on the performance of the student’s academic abilities (2021, p. 2). The Swedish Department of Education (2007) has developed a resource guide which states that the scores from the IQ tests have also worked as a method to measure the individual’s level of

giftedness. If a person got a score in the range of 130 on the IQ scale then that person would be considered gifted. However, this method is today only seen as an indicator that the student has the potential of success and it is no longer used as a measurement tool to determine if a student is gifted or not (2007, p. 6).

2.1.1 The three theories on giftedness and intelligence

Page (2006) argues that there is no clear answer to how we can measure intelligence or giftedness. She states that this has been a question to most academics and educators who have then provided their own concepts and theoretical models of giftedness/talent and intelligence.

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She demonstrates three different theories: the theory of multiple intelligences, the three-ring conception of giftedness, and the differentiated model (2006, p. 12-13).

The first theory mentioned above, the theory of multiply intelligences (MI) was first proposed by Howard Gardner who is a psychologist at Harvard (Armstrong 2018). With this theory, Gardner broadens the definition of intelligence and outlines different intellectual abilities of which every human possesses. There are eight different intelligences that Gardner points out which refer to different human abilities. The eight intelligences are the linguistic intelligence, the logical-mathematical intelligence, the spatial intelligence, the

bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, the musical intelligence, the interpersonal intelligence, intrapersonal intelligence, and the naturalist intelligence (2018, p. 1-4).

Page (2006) argues that the MI theory is based upon the idea that each person has a particular strength that he or she uses in order to learn something in the most efficient way. She continues to explain that this theory suggests that all students possess an aspect of each intelligence but are performing the best in one or two of the categories when learning. This model seeks to find what kind of intelligence that the student prefers in order to develop that area of strength which will help the student to be more successful in different learning situations (2006, p. 13).

The second theory referred to is the three-ring conception of giftedness and Page (2006) suggests that this theory is based on three human traits that interact with one another in

clusters. It is the combination of these three traits that indicates if a student could be gifted or not. This means that giftedness is viewed as a behavior rather than an attitude. The three human traits are called the well-above average ability, a high level of task commitment and a high level of creativity (2006, p. 12). Renzulli (2016) states that the trait which is called well-above ability is referring to the student’s memory, logic and ability to learn. The second cluster of human traits is what Renzulli (2016) calls the task commitment. This cluster refers to the student’s range of motivation (2016, p. 73-74). Renzulli (2016) exemplifies creativity which is the last cluster. This cluster refers to a student who shows originality and is flexible in his or her way of solving problems (2016, p. 76).

Lastly, the last theory mentioned is the differentiated model. Merrotsy (2017) states that there is a difference between natural abilities and systematic abilities (2017, p. 29). Makel et al. (2015) explain that the differentiated model of giftedness and talent theory was founded upon the idea that giftedness is natural abilities which a person are born with and that talent

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can be systematically developed (2015, p. 203). In this theory, Gagné (2010) presents a talent development process from which the outstanding natural abilities develop into outstanding systematic skills. Giftedness is therefore related to the spontaneous natural abilities that the person already possesses. The definition of talent, on the other hand, represents the

outstanding mastery of abilities that is systematically developed within a certain area (2010, p. 81-82). Gagné (2010) presents three types of catalysts that will either have a positive or a negative impact on the talent development process. The first one is the interpersonal catalysts which refers to personal traits such as self-management, handicaps, and motivation. The second catalysts are the environmental catalysts which refer to psychological influences from parents, teachers or the student’s peers. The last catalysts are called chance which is

connected to the environment and the interpersonal catalysts. Chance refers to the fact that you are not in control of where you were born or if your school will provide you with the help that you need in order succeed and reach your full potential (2010, p. 82-86).

2.2 Recognizing gifted students in the classroom

Biber et al. (2021) claim that teachers need to be able to identify the students who are gifted and talented in order to successfully help them develop further. However, as mentioned earlier, it is rather difficult to measure intelligence and giftedness since it involves practical and ethical problems even though the teacher works in a close relationship with his or her students. Biber et al. (2021) performed a quantitative study in Turkey regarding whether or not a teacher is able to identify a gifted student and if so, how (2021, p. 2). One of the

findings that Biber et al. (2021) refer to in their study is that there are different factors such as the students’ gender, personality, age, and interests might influence the teacher when he or she evaluates the student. A teacher may use certain tests to identify gifted students and to measure and identify certain characteristics such as the student’s cognitive abilities and his or her ability to be creative or motivated. Biber et al. (2021) speak about teacher nomination which is more effective for identifying gifted students compared to standard tests. Teacher nomination refers to teachers who are observing their students’ behavior when deciding if their students are gifted or not. This is not something that you can do when only using

standardized tests. They argue that it is therefore also necessary that the teacher is educated in social and emotional characteristics of gifted students in order to be able to define character traits such as creativity, leadership and motivation (2021, p. 1-3).

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Tarver and Curry (1992) claim that there are three main points that teachers should consider when they want to understand which students show signs of giftedness. Firstly, they argue that it is not possible to establish a student level of giftedness if the teacher were to compare the gifted student to an older student. The teacher should compare the student only to his or her same-aged peers. Secondly, teachers have to realize that gifted students do not always display their characteristics through positive behavior. Gifted behavior is not exclusively positive or enjoyable for either the teachers or the gifted student. The positive behavior that the student may express is that he or she may be excited when learning

something new because the student thinks it is enjoyable. Other characteristics could be that the student is very motivated, self-confident, or that he or she is able to use certain skills when solving problems. Gifted students may also show negative behaviors due to the lack of

challenges in school. Examples of this kind of behavior could be that the gifted student is easily distracted during lessons or that he or she is rebellious and disruptive which may cause problems that affect their peers or the teacher’s work. Lastly, the third main point that Tarver and Curry (1992) demonstrate is that teachers should not assume that a student is gifted if he or she possesses one or two of the mentioned characteristics nor should teachers assume that a student is not gifted unless he or she possess the characteristics. The teacher needs to notice the intensity of the student’s characteristics in order to think that the student might be gifted (1992, p. 145-147).

2.3 Pedagogical methods

When working with gifted English language learners (GELLs) who learn English as a second language, Pereira and Oliveira (2015) state that GELLs have proven to have the potential to learn a language much faster than their peers. However, GELLs are only able to develop advanced language proficiency if they are given the right education. This means that GELLs will need a teacher who is able to challenge them on their level of English proficiency and also give them the educational opportunities that they need in order to evolve their English abilities (2015, p. 209-211). Ruihua (2020) argues that it is important to consider different factors that may influence students’ language learning in order to understand how GELLs acquire a second language. The factors that may influence GELLs’ second language learning are their environment, teaching practices and innate ability (2020, p. 17). Ruihua (2020) demonstrates different views on how a student may acquire a second language and according to rationalists a student may learn a language easier if he or she has the innate ability that is necessary for acquiring language. However, behaviorists’ and empiricists’ view is that a

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student will acquire a language when he or she is exposed to the language and if he or she is practicing it (2020, p. 17). Ruihua (2020) presents the Direct method which encourages teachers to only use the target language in the classroom at all times and thus make the students practice English (2020, p. 20). A problem that might exist when using the Direct model, according to Pereira and Oliveira (2015), is that the GELLs do not get to practice their English if the teacher is forced to adjust his or her speech to students who are struggling to understand. However, Pereira and Oliveira (2015) refer to educational opportunities and one of them is that teachers let GELLs interact with someone who is more fluent in English in order to help them acquire the language (2015, p. 211). Ruihua (2020) claims that another aspect that has a great impact on a student’s language learning practice is the mental aspect since motivation and self-image could influence him or her in a negative way (2020, p. 18). Ruihua (2020) argues that different language teaching approaches and methods can be useful to understand language learning (2020, p. 19). Researchers within the field of education have developed several pedagogical methods that can be used when teaching gifted students. A few of these pedagogical methods are acceleration, enrichment, and differentiated learning.

2.3.1 Acceleration and enrichment

Enrichment refers to the option to extend the student’s alternative strategies to study that will work as a supplement in the regular curriculum (Subotnik et al. 2011). The teacher may provide the student with material that is not commonly used and maybe not even covered in the curriculum in order to challenge them. The goal of enrichment is to engage the student on a deeper level of the subject by providing the student with materials that the student would not regularly be given the opportunity to try in regular classroom situations. This strategy is commonly used with gifted students, but it is also considered to be useful for all students as well (Subotnik 2011, p. 23).

Subotnik et al. (2011) continue to refer to the second method that is called acceleration which is based on two different beliefs. The first belief is that the gifted student is able to learn and acquire knowledge faster than his or her peers. The second belief is that the gifted student needs to be placed in a group equivalent to his or her academic abilities (2011, p. 23-24). Morgan (2014) states it is important to allow the students to work at their own pace. A gifted student will sometimes need a teacher who allows the student to go further in order to stimulate the student in his or her tasks. The teacher may allow the students to work with advanced topics that could differ from what the rest of the same-aged peers get to work with. Morgan (2014) claims that a teacher should not be limiting the student but rather let the

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student study with topics that are at the student’s personal level (2014, p. 36). According to Subotnik et al. (2011), a teacher may use acceleration in a variety of strategies such as allowing students to access a course or content that is different from their peers. The gifted students may also be allowed to switch to a higher level of schooling. This strategy is only considered to be appropriate for a gifted student who may show a higher motivation when being able to accelerate (2011, p. 23-24).

2.3.2 Differentiated learning

Morgan (2014) claims that the differentiated instruction refers to the idea that all students learn in different ways that are based on their individual needs and talents (2014, p. 34). Yuen et al. (2018) argue that in order for a gifted student to succeed, the student needs to be given the chance and opportunity to get challenged according to his or her academic needs. This is crucial since the student needs to stay fully engaged and motivated throughout the course in order to feel that he or she is learning. The teacher needs to be capable of providing a wide variety of appropriate strategies for a whole class when creating group works or individual tasks (2018, p. 37). Bengel et al. (2010) state the way to challenge these students would be to give them the chance to investigate more deeply in a subject and to involve them in more advanced material. They also claim that all teachers should acquire proper training in

knowing who is gifted and what the student’s needs could be in order to help (2010, p. 2010). Yuen et al. (2018) argue that it is therefore important that the teacher is able to see all of the different needs in order to help all students succeed. This is the aim of the differentiated instruction where students’ different needs are noticed and that the students are allowed to learn at their personal academic level. (2018, p. 37). Subotnik et al. (2011) argue that there are those who have different opinions regarding whether gifted students have a need for special programs or services. The ones who state that there is no need for such programs claim that students should participate in regular classrooms and receive differentiated instructions when the teacher decides that it is necessary (2011, p. 9). However, Hertberg-Davis (2009) states that there is research that shows that when teachers do differentiate, they do it only for the students who struggle the most to keep up during the course. She states that this is due to the fact that teachers often find it very time consuming to use differentiation (2009, p. 252).

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3 Method

In this chapter, I will describe the method that is used in this study, how I carried out the project and how the participants were selected. I will also discuss the ethical considerations that were applied in this essay.

3.1 Thematic analysis

Thematic analysis is a method that has been used in qualitative research. Thematic analysis has an analytical objective since this method is not only used for the purpose to understand what people think but also why they think the way they do (Denscombe 2018). This is a method that is used to collect descriptive data which focuses on describing the respondents’ individual experiences and beliefs (2018, p. 268). Denscombe (2018) also states that this type of study is also known to include few informants and the types of questions that are usually asked are open-ended questions which allow the participant to explain their answers in detail (23-24). There are many advantages of using the thematic analysis and one advantage is that the researcher can be very flexible during the data collection and the process of analysing. Each process may be adapted as new ideas and patters emerge from the interviews which means that there is nothing that is rigidly decided beforehand (2018, p. 23-25).

3.2 The participants

In the beginning of this process, I decided to reach out to as many English teachers as I could in order to get in contact with as many participants as possible. Out of all the teachers that were contacted, seven English teachers decided to participate. The criterion that I had for the participants was that they were all active English teachers when the study took place. I

disregarded other aspects such as gender and age since I do not think this is of any importance in this particular study. I managed to get in contact with seven English teachers through email. I made a conscious choice to not get in contact with teachers I had previously been in contact with since I did not want that to affect the results of the interview. Repstad (2007) claims that there are things that may affect the conversation if the researcher has a previous relation to that person. The person can either feel more open and honest with a person that he or she already knows but it may also mean that he or she is more resistant of telling the truth if it is a sensitive topic (2012, p. 90-91). I got in contact with several schools in four different

municipalities in order to be as diverse as possible. All the teachers were interviewed individually, and no one knew one another. It took about an hour for each interview and all the teachers were active as English teachers when the study took place. Due to the corona

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pandemic all teachers decided that it would be for the best to have a virtual interview. We used Zoom which is a tool of communication where you can both see and hear the person that you are talking to. I have chosen to anonymize their names in order to be sure that all teachers will remain anonymous in this study. The teachers who participated in this study were:

Belinda who has 8 years of experience as an English teacher Lars who has 10 years of experience working as an English teacher Rickard who has 10 years of experience working as an English teacher Björn who has 14 years of experience working as an English teacher Kjell who has 15 years of experience working as an English teacher Olivia who has 17 years of experience working as an English teacher Monica who has 25 years of experience working as an English teacher

3.3 Procedure

Crowe et al. (2015) argue that the most common way to obtain data when working with qualitative research is to use interviews (2015, p. 617). Denscombe (2018) states that some of the advantages of using interviews are that they provide a great opportunity to ask in-depth questions. The qualitative method is flexible since you may have open-ended questions and ask follow-up questions if you would like the participant to elaborate on his or her answer. Denscombe (2018) also claims that by using interviews you may get a better validity since the researcher is able to directly ask the participant to explain what he or she means in order to fully understand. However, interviews may also affect the validity of the study in a negative way since the answers are only based upon what people say not how they actually act (2018, p. 292). I made sure that my study shows that it has validity since everything is recorded and I made sure to ask follow-up questions if I was unsure of what the teacher was communicating. I also tried to create a safe environment in order to get an honest answer since McKay (2006) argues that validity is strengthen if study is able to rule out alternative explanations which may have an effect on the results of the study (2006, p. 11-12). For this essay, semi-structured questions are conducted for the interviews. According to Denscombe (2018), semi-structured interviews are the types of interviews that do not follow a strict structure when it comes to how to ask a question or when to ask each question. The interview is supposed to act like a normal conversation while the researcher still has the questions in mind when asking questions to the participant (2018, p. 269). However, Denscombe (2018) states that one

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disadvantage with using interviews is that the respondent may be influenced by the identity of the researcher and they may adjust their answer accordingly (2018, p. 293).

Repstad (2007) states that one of the advantages of using a recording device during an interview is that you can focus on what the other person is saying instead of writing notes. He also claims that it makes it possible to notice things that are not verbally expressed since you look at the person. It is also easier to recall since you do not rely on memory alone (2012, p. 93). Therefore, I decided to record the interviews and to write down small notes in order to keep my attention focused on the conversation.

In the beginning of the process, I sent each teacher an email where I made sure that I wrote down a short presentation of who I was and what kind of study I was making and also why I was reaching out to that specific teacher. I also made sure to tell the teacher all the necessary information regarding the ethical considerations and that the interview would take up to approximately an hour. After knowing who would participate in my study, I sent them another email with a confirmation of the time of our meeting and I chose to include the

questions that was going to be discussed during the interview. I did this in order to prepare the teachers for the interview which may result in in-depth answers.

3.4 The analysis of the data

The approach that is used for the analysis in this essay is based upon thematic analysis which is used in studies where the goal is to find patterns of meaning in the collected data according to Crowe et al. (2015). Crowe et al. (2015) continue to explain that thematic analysis is used to identify, analyse, and interpret the collected information and divide it into different themes within the qualitative data (2015, p. 617). Crowe et al. (2015) argue that the researcher has to be very familiar with the collected data in order to organize the information in codes and then themes that are connected to the research questions (2015, p. 618). Therefore, I made sure to record each interview and I also took notes during and after each interview. I also made sure to review each audio recording while taking small notes on the side. The system that I used was to write down the time when a participant said something significant that I wanted to use for my essay. This made it easy to organize the collected information and I could easily find the information when needed. In this study, I make sure that the responses do not get mixed up together since McKay (2006) states that the reliability is strengthened when another person could listen to the material and reach a similar conclusion (2006, p. 11-12). Repstad (2007) claims that the recordings of the interviewed will also strengthen the reliability of a study

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since you are not only relying on your memory and notes when remembering what has been said (2012, p. 15).

Crowe et al. (2015) state that the aim for thematic analysis is not to summarize the content of the data but to identify and interpret key features of the data that are related to the research questions (2015, p. 618). When reviewing the audio recording once more I started to examine the data for patterns or repeated ideas that emerged through many of the interviews. When making these observations I started to label them into codes which made it easy to organise my data into different themes that are based on my research questions. When presenting my findings, I decided to transcribe some parts of the interviews in order to use it as quotes in my essay. Denscombe (2018) explains that the researcher has to decide what parts of the data that needs to be transcribed which is based upon how the data will be used. Denscombe (2018) states that a researcher may be selective, and the researcher can transcribe small extract which will then be used for citations in the work which will illustrate the

specific point that the researcher wants to make (2018, p. 395).

3.5 Ethical considerations

The Swedish research council’s guidelines for good research practice (Vetenskapsrådet, 2017) have been taken into consideration when this study was executed. Christoffersen and

Johannessen (2015) speak of four fundamental principles that are based on the Swedish research council’s guidelines. The first one refers to the requirement that the researcher has to inform the participants of the purpose of the study before they take part in it (2015, p. 46). I made sure that I had fulfilled this criterion by mentioning the purpose of my essay in written form when I wrote about it in the email (see appendix 2) that I sent them and also orally when I said the same thing before the interview started. The second principle requires that the researcher makes it clear that the participation is completely voluntary (2015, p. 46). I stated in my email and also before the interview started that they were allowed to cancel the

interview at any time and they did not have to give a reason why. The third principle refers to the guarantee that the participant is anonymous, and that the information given will not be able to be traced back to the participant (2015, p. 46). I have given each participant a pseudonym to achieve this requirement. The participants’ names or schools are also never mentioned in the audio recordings or in my written notes or report. The last principle refers to the fact that all the material that is collected from the participants will be guaranteed to be for this study only (2015, p. 46). This was also something that I told them before the interview started.

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4 Results

In this chapter, I will present the thematic analysis of the collected data. Each section of this chapter is divided into several themes that are related to my research questions. These themes conclude the teachers’ own experiences regarding who can be defined as a gifted student, what methods the teachers use in their teaching and whether the teachers do adjust any material when taking the gifted students needs into consideration. I have also transcribed and added quotes from the interviews.

4.1 The gifted student

The participating teachers were first asked to describe their personal definition of a gifted student. Although it can be rather difficult to describe what it means to be gifted, the teachers’ definitions are based on their own experience. Rickard, Lars and Olivia explained that it might be difficult to define who is gifted since different factors come into place since a student can be intellectually gifted or communicatively gifted. Kjell argues that a student’s ability level is of interest when discussing giftedness:

I consider a student to be gifted if he or she has a fluency in his or her usage of English, both in a written and oral context. […] a gifted student is someone who shows interest in and understands the English culture because for me English culture is the essence of knowing English (Kjell)

Kjell further explains that a gifted student will understand how the language works in a more complex way then his or her same-aged peers. All teachers agree that a gifted student has a certain intellect. Lars claims that the gifted student often has a faster pace than the rest of the students which means that he or she will learn things faster. Lars further explains:

A gifted student does not need as much teaching and help as the rest of the students […]. I will provide lectures, but they are not necessarily on a level that the gifted student actually needs since the lectures are mostly adapted to the rest of the class (Lars)

In connection to the first research question How do the participating English language teachers notice gifted students in their classrooms? (Q1), the teachers gave different answers as to how they suspected whether a student is gifted or not. Belinda, Oliva and Björn state that they do a screening test in the beginning of the school year in order to see the students’ level of knowledge which will give them a clue of the different needs that the students might have. Kjell and Monica, on the other hand, state that they do not use screening tests. Instead, they prefer to get to know the students in order to get an idea of the students’ needs in school:

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I don’t do tests, the students arrive as a blank page and their giftedness will show eventually through the process of getting to know each student. I had some students that wanted to discuss a book that was very complex […] I therefore see what their academic level through their interests. (Kjell)

Björn also argues that it is important to spend time with the student and to pay attention to what his or her interests are. Rickard agrees that the student’s interest such as reading a lot may also reveal if the student is gifted or not.

When recognizing a gifted student, Monica states that she thinks that gifted students tend to show that they are confident in their English abilities:

Gifted students in my opinion know their own abilities but they want to evolve their skills and therefore they try to do so by speaking, writing or asking questions […] they do not seem to have the typical mental barrier in the shape of anxiety. Gifted students know that failure is a part of the learning process (Monica)

Monica states that gifted students often dare to try new things because they are more

motivated to learn. Lars claims that a gifted student may stand out because he or she has a real drive to learn and is hardworking. However, Lars also explains that a gifted student may show signs of boredom during his lessons which he says is sadly a characteristic of the gifted student as well.

The teachers do not seem to have any difficulties in recognizing a gifted student during their lectures. However, it is difficult to define what makes a student gifted since they

mentioned a lot of different characteristics such as having a certain intellect, interest in

English or that they show a willingness to learn. It is these characteristics that the teachers use to define what a gifted student is.

4.2 The challenge of challenging gifted students

When addressing the second research question In what ways do the participating English language teachers address the needs of gifted students in school? (Q2), the teachers gave different answers as to how they notice and work with the gifted students’ individual needs which has been divided into different themes.

4.2.1 Assignments

Rickard, Björn, Monica, and Kjell claim that a teacher needs to know his students in order to know how to challenge them. It is therefore important to have a close communication with the students since you are able to ask the students if they think that something is too easy or if the

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assignments are enough challenging. Rickard claims that the most important thing with teaching is to challenge each student so that the student will be given what he or she needs in order to develop the student’s English abilities. Lars and Rickard demonstrate situations when students have been given the choice to skip a grade in order to be challenged in school.

However, this method it is not always that appealing among the students since they prefer to stay with their classmates.

Lars states that it is very important to talk to the students because he has had students who did not work during his lectures and when they finally turned in an assignment it was considered “gold”:

These kinds of students do not have nor do they want to put in the effort do participate fully during the lectures that they are not passionate about since they consider it to be a waste of time. […] of course, the students will get bored if they have already mastered what I ask them to do. I therefore try to find a suitable choice for that assignment and tailor it to the students’ individual needs (Lars)

Lars and Belinda state that they strive to make open or flexible assignments since it allows the student to write at his or her own ability level. Monica, Kjell, Lars, and Björn state that they often give the students the choice to work with extra assignments. However, Lars explain that it is not always appreciated by the student since he or she has already finished the work that is required. Björn claims that he always asks the student if he or she would like to do extra assignments in which they often decline. He explains that he cannot force his students to do extra assignments if they do not want to.

4.2.2 Motivation

Many teachers state that it can be difficult to challenge students since grades can affect the gifted students’ motivation in a negative way. Rickard claims that it is problematic if a student is mainly motivated by his or her grades:

It is difficult to work with a gifted student who is only motivated by his or her grades since there is no A+ that I can award them with […] these students do not get to work hard and therefore never develop their English (Rickard)

Björn, Lars and Richard state that they have been working with students who are studying at a vocational program which means that many students may want to work after graduating upper secondary school. The teachers explain that some of these students will only do the bare minimum even if they have the potential to achieve higher grades simply because they believe that they will not need higher grades. This is the reason why Monica is careful with giving out an assignment where it is described what the student should do to get a specific grade:

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If I were to give my students a limit, then they would not always go for it and really show me what they can do. Some students will aim high and the majority prefer to know what grade they can expect by doing certain work but this does not mean that they are making an effort to do the best they can (Monica)

She avoids doing this since she wants to make the student put in their best effort. Lars uses a different approach. He states that when he creates an assignment, he writes down different tiers which resemble the tasks that a student must do in order to get a specific grade. If the student finishes the task early Lars always makes sure to push the student to develop the task even further in order to reach a higher grade or to prepare for the next course or even

university. Kjell says that when motivating students, he likes to quote what the Disney character Mama Odie sings in the movie The princess and the frog when he tells his students that “you gotta dig a little deeper” in order to encourage the students to improve.

4.2.3 Gifted students in minority

Another challenge that teachers are faced with is that they must see all students’ different needs and the gifted students are most of the time the minority in each classroom. Belinda explains that she could have students who try to pass the course and the ones who exceed expectations and that it is therefore extremely hard to meet everyone’s needs in school. She states: “You can plan the course but be prepared to change it when you actually know what needs each of the students has”. Monica claims that it can be hard to teach students who are on two different levels that are academically far apart. However, she argues that it can be beneficial to let gifted students work together with a student who might be struggling. Lars also sees the potential with using students’ different levels to make sure that everyone is learning. However, he claims that you as a teacher must be aware of the students’ ability levels:

It would not be fair to put a student that is at an English seven level together with a student at an English nine level. It would not work since they are academically too far apart […] they cannot interact in any meaningful way because there are too many hurtles (Lars)

Rickard speaks of the advantages of students teaching other students while he also adds that it can be tiring for the gifted student if it happens too often. Some teachers state that they have tried to group students by their abilities. Lars explains that he tried out a system where three teachers split up three classes into two classes. One group was going to have two teachers and it was meant to be for the students who wanted or needed extra help. The other group had one teacher and the students got to work in a faster pace. Although, the students got to choose

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which group they wanted to join the teachers had to divide the students by their achievements to see who really needed the extra help. This project was beneficial to all students since they got the help that they needed, and it was also beneficial to the teachers since it was easier to plan out. “It worked”, says Lars and explains that the gifted students were more enthusiastic and motivated to work:

I was able to teach them the things that they needed to advance their English. I was given the chance to challenge them and actually teach […] during regular circumstances, gifted students do not get the same help that they might need in order to develop their knowledge (Lars)

Olivia also demonstrates that she has been working on a project where the students were divided. She explains that the teachers were focused to give each student the help that he or she needed. Olivia states that the project was beneficial since all students passed because they were met at their own level.

4.3 The teachers of the gifted students

The relationship between the gifted student and the teacher was also a factor that has an impact on the students’ abilities and motivation which is connected to Q2. Kjell states that the authority of the teacher might have a huge impact on the students’ motivation. Lars claims that it is not unusual that gifted students think very highly of themselves and that he or she may question their teachers’ competence. Kjell speaks of his own experiences when he explains that he understands the feeling of being smarter than the teacher. He continues to say that these feelings come from boredom because they are not challenged. It is therefore

important that the teacher stays in charge and that the student has respect for you, Kjell explains. Olivia agrees and states that the gifted student will not listen if he or she continues to think that he or she is better than you. Lars says that it is important to praise the student of his or her skills but to make him or her understand that the teacher has further developed skills and knowledge that the student is yet to develop.

Every teacher states that he or she have not really been taught in school about how to help gifted students and that they are not provided with special materials from their schools that are meant for gifted students. Belinda explains:

[…] you learn as you go and this is one example of that […] it is not something that I remember learning from my education. I naturally go to my colleagues if I have any questions regarding my students, but most of the time, I figure it out on my own (Belinda)

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Olivia, Björn, Rickard, and Monica also say the same thing, that knowledge comes with years of experience from meeting the students and talking to your colleagues. It is the struggling students’ needs that were highlighted in all the teachers’ education.

4.4 Are gifted students’ needs prioritized?

In a response to Q2, Monica is quick to tell that all students deserve to receive the same amount of attention. However, she argues that gifted students do not require the same amount of attention as the students that are really struggling to keep up. Belinda also points out that the struggling students’ needs are prioritized since a lot of resources go to those who are on the verge of not passing a course. All teachers state that they speak in English during their lectures. However, Belinda claims that she has to speak in a way of which the majority of the students will understand which means that the gifted students do not get to listen to more advanced formal speech during her lectures. Lars explains that the Swedish school system is built around students’ needs. When asked about whether he thinks that struggling students receive more attention than gifted students he says:

struggling students get more time in a larger ratio time than other students and sadly that means that the gifted students will have to take a larger personal responsibility. Of course, I will supply as much material as I can and give them hints and tips of what they need to do in order to further improve. But I cannot be there guiding them in the way I will be doing for the weaker students (Lars)

All of the teachers also mention similar things when asked the same question. Rickard states that:

if I had to choose which ones to let go of, I would probably rather let go of the really gifted ones and focus on the struggling ones because they are more important. They need more help, the others will probably find their way (Richard)

Richard does not want to let anyone go, but he explains that you sometimes must put someone else’s needs before the rest. Rickard argues that this is a problem due to the number of

students in the classes. He explains that “You should help everyone, but you simply don’t have the time and resources cost too much”. Olivia states that all students need

encouragement and need to be challenged or else they will be bored. She explains that teachers have a responsibility to make sure that they include everyone in their teaching. However, Olivia also adds that it is harder to give enough attention to a gifted student if the majority of the students are low achievers. She also claims that it is always the students who do poorly in school that are being discussed and cared for the most. It is the struggling

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students’ problems that are prioritized because it is connected to statistics and the main goal is to make sure that all students pass the course.

Björn speaks of how he prioritizes each of his students’ different needs. He states that he prefers to give out the same type of assignments to his students that will sort of fit all needs. Björn explains that it is whenever a student is struggling that he may change the task so that it will be more appealing to the struggling student. He says that: “I do not do that across the board because it would be too much work, I do not have the time. I have to have

assignments that are the same for everybody”. He also explains that the problem in school these days is that there is so much emphasis on giving extra help and support to the students that have difficulties. He claims that this will affect the gifted students since the task of challenging these students becomes second priority. Björn continues to explain that this is a real shame since the students do not get the chance to develop their skills to their maximum level because the teacher does not get the chance to guide them properly. Björn claims that a teacher is forced to prioritize the student who is at the risk of failing to make sure that that student is passing. Gifted students do not get the deserved time that he wishes that he could give them. All teachers claim that they do what they can in order to help the gifted students to reach their full potential. However, this is not an easy task which is the challenge of this “tricky” job, states Lars.

4.5 Summary of the results

All the teachers claimed that a gifted student is considered to have a higher intellect which challenges the teachers to think of ways to challenge the gifted students. The students have better self-confidence which is related to his or her motivation. There was a difference as to how they notice the gifted students during their lessons. Most of the teachers state that they would use different types of tests in order to notice who is gifted. However, other teachers said that they do not use screening tests to know whether someone is gifted or not. They say that it is important to get to know your students and to acknowledge how they are performing in the classroom.

When addressing the students’ needs the answers vary. Some teacher state that they think that you have to get to know your students in order to be able to inspire and motivate them. It is popular to use assignments that are considered open so that the students were free to write as they want. The teacher would then afterwards follow up on the students’ work and challenge them if necessary. However, some teachers claimed that they do not adapt their materials to the different levels within each class. These teachers give out the same material to

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all students. If the gifted student finishes the task early, then he or she will be given the choice to work with extra assignments. Some teachers also state that they change the type of

assignment or the context so that it will be more appealing for some students that need it. However, the students who are considered in need of it are the students that are struggling the most and rarely the gifted students. The reasons for this vary but all teachers said that the students who are struggling take up much focus since they require a lot of help. The teachers are aware of this and are forced to prioritize according to the struggling students’ needs. This leaves the gifted students with the risk of being unmotivated and bored during lectures which also has an effect on the students’ language development. The gifted students are either left on their own, left to think that they can spend their time doing other, more meaningful, work in other subjects, or left feeling satisfied with their grades achieved with minimum effort.

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5 Discussion

Lindberg and Kaill (2012) claim that it is difficult to give one answer as to what defines a gifted student. This has always been a difficult thing to do since there are several definitions of what giftedness is and what kind of knowledge a student must have in order to show that he or she is gifted (2012, p. 4). However, the teachers gave similar answers when they were asked to describe a gifted student and how they may notice a gifted student during lesson time. The teachers notice the gifted students either by his or her academic achievements or by getting to know the students. The teachers claim that a gifted student can be very motivated and eager to learn and that gifted students can also have a high intellect and get easily bored if they are not challenged. There was also those who claimed that they performed screening tests in order to know whether a student could be considered to be gifted or not. Most teachers stated that they have not been given any education regarding gifted students. The teachers get help from their colleagues or think something up by themselves when they are faced with gifted students. Bengel et al. (2010) state that it is absolutely necessary for teachers to receive proper education. This will help the teachers to identify the students and what his or her specific needs are so that the teachers can help the students evolve their English abilities (2010, p. 2010).

Morgan (2014) states that there are many ways in which a teacher may use

differentiated instructions for gifted students. The most common types that she exemplifies are used by all of the teachers in some aspect. The results suggest that some of the

participating teachers thought it was beneficial to divide their students according to their level of English abilities since this gave the students the help and the learning environment that they needed. When the gifted students were divided, the teachers claimed that the gifted students got more motivated to advance their English abilities since they were being challenged accordingly to their academic level. The teachers also said that it was easier to plan the lectures accordingly to the students’ ability level since they did not need to adjust their speech or material accordingly to different students. The positive effects from ability grouping are visible in Missett et al. (2014) which is said to help students to achieve their individual goals (2014, p. 248-249). The results also show that all teachers saw the benefits of mixing groups that had gifted and nongifted students that were not far apart in their abilities.

Another method to differentiate, according to Morgan (2014), is to change the task according to the students’ ability level (2014, p. 35). The teachers claim that they give out the

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same assignments to all students. Most teachers stated that they could not change or give out individual assignments that were adjusted to the students’ needs since it would take too much time. Björn explains that he will only give out alternative assignments to students who are close to failing the course which corresponds to what Hertberg-Davis (2009) refers to which is that most teachers feel like it takes too much time to differentiate instructions (2009, p. 252). All teachers said that they were forced to prioritize to help the students who really needed the teachers help. Most of the help was therefore available for the struggling students to make sure that they would pass the course which in the end had a negative effect on the gifted students. Subotnik et al. (2011) talk about enrichment and acceleration which are two methods that are considered commonly used among gifted students (2011, p. 23-24).

Although the teachers found it beneficial to use, they reported that these two methods were not appreciated among the gifted students who did not want to skip a grade or to do a lot of extra work since the students were often satisfied with their grades.

Yet another challenge that the teachers voiced is that the gifted students are often in a minority. The challenge of giving these students what they need becomes harder since all teachers’ state that it is easier to help a group of gifted students instead of individuals. Also, the gifted students’ motivation seems to differ. The teachers who work with vocational education programs argue that it is harder to motivate the students to go further since the students do not seem to care for a specific grade. The students want to work after they

graduate and do not think that they will need a high grade in English to do so. These students would therefore choose to work with other subjects that they do find challenging instead of improving his or her English skills. Other teachers would also refer to the student’s

motivation and that grades can affect the student’s mindset since he or she might think that he or she know everything just because the student reached the highest grade. The teachers state that it is hard to reach these kinds of students and to make the students understand that they can still develop. Björn and Richard claim that a teacher must help the students who want to develop. However, the problem most teachers discussed was the fact that struggling students takes up a lot of time. All teachers express the will of helping all students. However, there is a common belief among the teachers that they will not be able to reach or guarantee that they can help every gifted student in a diverse classroom.

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6 Conclusion

I want to make it clear that this study is based on seven different teachers and their answers may only reflect their own teaching and opinions. Therefore, the expressed opinions might not be representative for all teachers in Sweden. The aim of this study was to get further insights into how English teachers in upper secondary school acknowledge and adjust support and guidance that will help the gifted students to develop their abilities in English. This study focuses on how English language teachers notice gifted students in their classrooms and also what the teachers do in order to help the students with their needs in school. My conclusion is that there are several ways a student may be gifted, since there are a lot of different

characteristics that may define a gifted student. All gifted students are individuals, and their needs might therefore differ from the rest of the other gifted students. It is therefore important that the teacher notices what kind of needs each student has and how to challenge the students further on their journey of learning English. All of the teachers have exemplified ways and reasonings around their ways of tutoring and how they can help their students and have so fulfilled the aim of this study. Worth noticing is that giftedness is easily assumed to be a privilege or a gift given to a student. However, it can bring many issues. The results of this study show that it is not always easy to meet the needs and to give the appropriate education to gifted English language learners in all situations. Research suggests that a learner of a language must actively participate in order to develop his or her English language abilities. Based on the results of the study, many gifted students are unable to fully participate due to a lot of situations and are therefore hindered in their development. To hear that teachers cannot give their students what they need because of lack of time, statistics, or the sheer number of students in a classroom is both heart-breaking and frustrating. All students deserve the same level of care and attention. The worst-case scenario would be to let a gifted student go on feeling that what he or she does is pointless and that he or she should just finish and be done with school as fast as possible instead of excelling at his or her abilities. It would be a waste of potential to ignore the gifted students who, like all students, need to be cared for.

Therefore, I wish to urge the message to truly consider each student’s needs and thus also remember the gifted students.

Future research on gifted English language learners is necessary since it would be interesting to investigate further what the gifted students themselves think of their situation in school. Some of the teachers did remember their own situation since they claimed to be gifted,

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and this was interesting to hear. They could relate and understand the perspective of being gifted and to feel the need to be challenged.

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References

Armstrong, T. (2018). Multiple intelligence in the classroom. Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development.

Bengel, N. J., Moon, S. M., & Capobianco, B. M. (2010). Preservice Teachers’ Perceptions and Experiences in a Gifted Education Training Model. Gifted Child Quarterly, 54(3), 209-221.

Biber, M., Biber, S. K., Ozyaprak, M., Kartal, E., Can, T., & Simsek, I. (2021). Teacher Nomination in Identifying Gifted and Talented Students: Evidence From Turkey. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 39, 1-13.

Christoffersen, L., & Johannessen, A. (2015). Forskningsmetoder för lärarstudenter. Lund: Studentlitteratur.

Crowe, M., Inder, M., & Porter, R. (2015). Conducting Qualitative Research in Mental Health: Thematic and Content Analyses. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. 49(7), 616-623.

Denscombe, M. (2018). Forskningshandboken. För småskaliga forskningsprojekt inom samhällsvetenskaperna. Studentlitteratur.

Department of Education. (2007). Gifted and Talented Students. A Resource Guide for Teachers. Educational Serviced Division (Anglophone). 1-66.

Gagné, F. (2010). Motivation within the DMGT 2.0 framework. High Ability Studies, 21(2), 91-99.

Hertberg-Davis, H. (2009). Myth 7: Differentiation in the Regular Classroom Is Equivalent to Gifted Programs and Is Sufficient. Classroom Teachers Have the Time, the Skill, and the Will do Differentiate Adequately. Gifted Child Quarterly, 53(4), 251-253.

Lindberg, B., & M. Kaill, K. (2012). Life Experiences of Gifted Adolescents in Sweden. Örebro University, Sweden.

Makel, M., Snyder, K. E., Thomas, C., Malone, P. S., & Putallaz, M. (2015). Gifted Students’ Implicit Beliefs About Intelligence and Giftedness. Gifted Child Quarterly, 59(4), 203-212. McKay, S. L. (2006). Researching Second Language Classrooms. Routledge.

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Merrotsy, P. (2017). Gagné’s Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent in Australia Education. The Australasian Journal of Gifted Education, 26(2). 29-42.

Missett, T. C., Brunner, M. M., Callahan, C. M., Moon, T. R., & Azano, A. P. (2014). Exploring Teacher Beliefs and Use of Acceleration. Ability Grouping, and Formative Assessment. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 37(3), 245-268.

Morgan, H. (2014). Maximizing Student Success with Differentiated Learning. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 87(1), 34-38.

Page, A. (2006). Three Models for Understanding Gifted Education. Kairaranga. 7(2), 11-15. Pereira, N., & Oliveira, L. C. (2015). Meeting the Linguistic Needs of High-Potential English Language Learners. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 47(4), 208-215.

Persson, R. S. (2010). Experiences of Intellectually Gifted Students in an Egalitarian and Inclusive Educational System: A Survey Study. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 33(4), 536-569.

Phillips, N., & Lindsay, G. (2006). Motivation in Gifted Students. High ability studies, 17(1), 57-73.

Renzulli, J. S. (2016). The three-ring conception of giftedness. In S. M. (Ed.). Reflections on Gifted Education (pp. 55-86). Waco, TX: Prufrock Press.

Repstad, P. (2007). Närhet och distans: Kvalitativa metoder i samhällsvetenskap. Lund: Studentlitteratur.

Ruihua, C. (2020). Gifted English language learners: the cultural and practical experiences of Chinese students learning English in Scotland and in China. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

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Skolverket. (2013). Curriculum for the upper secondary school. Stockholm: Fritzes.

Stålnacke, J., & Smedler, A. (2011). Psychosocial Experiences and Adjustment Among Adult Swedes with Superior General Mental Ability. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 34(6), 900-918.

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Subotnik, R. F., Olszewski-Kubilius, P., & Worrell, C. F. (2011). Rethinking Giftedness and Gifted Education: A Proposed Direction Forward Based on Psychological Science.

Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 12(1), 3-54.

Tarver, S, B., & Curry, J. A. (1992). Gifted students in regular classrooms. In. Libby G. Cohen (ed.), Children with Exceptional Needs in Regular Classrooms. National Education Association of the United States.

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https://www.vr.se/english/analysis/reports/our-reports/2017-08-31-good-research-practice.html

Yuen, M., Chan, S., Chan, C., Fung, CL. D., Cheung, W. M., Kwan, T., & Leung, KS. F. (2018). Differentiation in key learning areas for gifted students in regular classes: A project for primary school teachers in Hong Kong. Gifted Education International, 34(I), 36-46.

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Appendix 1: The questions for the interview

1. How long have you been working as an English teacher? 2. What is your educational background?

3. How would you define a gifted student in English language classrooms? 4. How do you notice that a student is gifted?

5. What is a good way of approaching a gifted student about their needs in school? 6. Would you say that it is important to pay attention to gifted students?

7. Would you say that you know what to do in order to help a gifted student that have it too easy during your lectures?

8. What kind of teaching methods do you use for gifted students? 9. What kind of teaching material do you use for gifted students? 10. Do you use any extra materials for gifted students?

11. Would you say that the gifted students in your own classroom get to reach their full potential during your English lessons?

12. How do you look at individual education? 13. Is there anything that you would like to add?

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Appendix 2: The email

Västerås 2020-11-02 Hello [name]!

My name is Sandra Svegreus and I am a student at Mälardalen University. I am studying to become an English teacher and I am now at my last semester. I am therefore writing my degree project, which is the reason why I now contact you since I am going to interview English teachers who tutor upper secondary school students in my project. The aim of this study is to investigate how active English teachers work with gifted students during lesson time. The questions that I am going to ask during the interview are going to be about how you work with gifted students and how you notice and help these students to develop their

academic abilities in the English subject.

Due to the current pandemic, you will be the one who decides if we conduct the interview in person or virtually. The interview will take approximately 60 minutes. The interviews will be done between week 45 and 50. Your answers as well as your identity will be completely anonymous if you do decide to take part in my study. I will be the only one who takes part of the information that you provide and the information will be used for this study only. Also, participating in this study is voluntary, and you have the right to end your participation

whenever you like without giving a reason why. You do not have to answer any questions that you are not comfortable with answering. If I get the chance to have the pleasure of taking part of your experiences, then I will send you a copy of the questions that you will be asked during the interview.

I look forward to your reply and you are welcome to contact me if you have any questions. Best regards,

Sandra Svegreus

Phone number: XXX-XX XX XXX E-mail address: XXXXXXXX@XXXXXXX.XXX.XX

References

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